A spreadsheet program is a computer application program commonly used for budgets, forecasting, and other finance-related tasks. In a spreadsheet program, data and formulas are entered in ledger-like forms (spreadsheets or worksheets) for analysis, tracking, planning, or "what-if" evaluations of the impacts of real or proposed changes on an economic strategy. Spreadsheet programs use rows and columns of cells; each cell can hold text or numeric data or a formula that uses values in other cells to calculate a desired result. The columns are often organized by letter--Columns A, B, C, etc.--and the rows are organized by number--Rows 1, 2, 3, etc. Each cell is identified by a combination of column letter and row number. Cell "B3," for instance, is in column B and row 3. Numerical and textual data are entered into the cells of the spreadsheet according to the organization imposed by the author. The cells can be formatted to present the numbers and text in a desired appearance.
Conventional spreadsheets also permit an author to define mathematical functions within individual cells. The functions are set apart from normal data by use of a leading descriptor entry, such as an "=" sign. It is common for the mathematical functions entered in one cell to use data contained in other cells. The function itself is not displayed in the cell; rather, the cell displays the results of the function.
Depending on the program, a single spreadsheet can contain anywhere from thousands to millions of cells. Some spreadsheet programs can also link one spreadsheet to another that contains related information, and can update data in linked spreadsheets automatically. Spreadsheet programs may also include s programming or "macro" facilities, and some can be used for creating and sorting databases. For printed output, spreadsheet programs usually provide graphing capabilities and a variety of formatting options for both printed pages and text, numeric values, and captions and legends in graphs.
Microsoft Excel.RTM., distributed by Microsoft Corporation of Redmond, Wash., is an example of a popular spreadsheet program that is widely available.
A spreadsheet is a very convenient way to implement a form, which is used repeatedly to enter different sets of data. In practice, a user typically creates an instance of a spreadsheet form that mimics a paper form. The spreadsheet contains fixed data and formulas, as well as variable data that changes with each data set. To create additional data sets, the user opens an existing instance of the form, changes the variable data, and saves the modified spreadsheet under a new filename.
A common user mistake is to open an existing instance of a spreadsheet form, change the data, and then save the instance without renaming the spreadsheet--thus overwriting and losing the original data. Such a mistake can be avoided by using the template feature of Microsoft Excel.RTM.. A spreadsheet template in Excel.RTM. is like any other spreadsheet except that it is stored in a special location and protected from overwriting. Before saving a spreadsheet that is based a template, Excel.RTM. prompts the user for a new filename.
A template can be used to define a spreadsheet form. When a user wants to enter new data, he or she opens the template (using the "File:New" command in Excel.RTM., resulting in a new instance of the spreadsheet form. The user enters the appropriate data, and saves the spreadsheet form (using the "File:Save" command in Excel.RTM.). Before actually saving the spreadsheet, the spreadsheet program asks the user for a filename. The spreadsheet is then saved under this filename.
Even with the convenience of the template feature, the use of spreadsheet forms as described above results in many unique instances of the form, each with a different set of data. There is no easy way to combine and analyze the data from the different form instances, and it is often difficult to locate any particular form instance containing a desired set of data.